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GOP SENATORS EXPRESS
CONCERNS ABOUT FCC REVIEW OF MEDIA OWNERSHIP RULES
Allard, Snowe, and Collins urge FCC not to revise rules until Congress,
general public can review and comment on possible changes
WASHINGTON, DC -- Three Republican U.S. senators today expressed concerns about the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)'s review of media ownership rules, saying that "it would be inappropriate to make significant changes that could have a sweeping impact on how our society engages in public debate without first having a complete public airing of these changes."
In a letter to the FCC, Senators Wayne Allard, R-Colorado, Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and Susan Collins, R-Maine said that it was "essential that the Commission justify how any changes in media rules will promote diversity, competition, and localism by soliciting public comment focused specifically on the agency's proposed changes."
The senators wrote, "A fully functioning democracy depends on media sources with diverse voices and opinions as well as content relevant to local communities. Over the years, courts have reaffirmed the belief of Congress that independent ownership of media outlets results in more diverse media voices, greater competition among owners, and the production of more local content.
"Please do not proceed with a final rule until the Commission provides both a full description of all proposed changes and the empirical foundation for the changes, as well as provide for an ample public comment period, so that members of the public and Congress will have an opportunity to evaluate the new rules' potential impact," the senators concluded.
The FCC is currently reviewing several rules for owning media outlets. Some members of the commission appear to favor easing or eliminating certain rules, such as limits on the number of TV and radio stations a company can own in a market, and a rule that prevents one from owning a local newspaper and a TV station in the same market.
Consumers Union, the nonprofit organization that publishes Consumer Reports magazine, believes the FCC should re-instate its rules, arguing that the rules are vital to competition and a diverse marketplace of ideas. Gene Kimmelman, the senior director of public policy and advocacy for Consumers Union, praised the senators for asking the FCC not to make changes without giving citizens and their elected representatives a chance to weigh in on the matter.
"The support of
these three senators is a major boost," Kimmelman said. "We praise
them for standing up for competition, diversity, and localism. Given the skeptical
tone of the letter, they obviously have some concerns about the prospect of
a few companies gaining too much influence over local news and information.
We think that this letter will have a significant impact on what the FCC ultimately
does, and it should spur interest in media ownership on both sides of the aisle.
If FCC policy is changed to allow media ownership to be concentrated among fewer
companies, the public's ability to have open, informed discussion with a wide
variety of viewpoints will be compromised. The stakes for citizens, consumers,
and the nation are enormous".
***
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